PEORIA — Inmates at the Peoria County Jail and the county’s Juvenile Detention Center could see changes in their health care.

At its meeting Tuesday, the county’s public safety committee gave County Administrator Lori Curtis Luther the OK to begin negotiating with Nashville-based Correct Care Solutions, which county staff thought presented the best bid of four potential vendors.

The three-year contract is expected to be worth between $1.1 million and $1.5 million, Luther told the committee. She’ll likely have final terms in April, and if they are approved by the committee, the entire County Board could vote on the pact in May.

Brian Asbell, the jail’s superintendent, told board members the new deal would replace one in which each facility had its own contract. Under the new plan, both the JDC and the jail would be under the same contract. Asbell said he and other staffers believe that will give inmates better access to health care.

He also said Correct Care Solutions has partnered with the Peoria-based Human Service Center for mental health services. By using a local provider, he said, inmates can get follow-up treatment after they are released. That extended coverage, if pursued by the person in question, could lead to a lower recidivism rate, Asbell said.

He also said recent changes in health insurance law, because of the Affordable Care Act, could allow the county to recover more of the cost to treat inmates.

Luther said she believed the new pact, if approved by the County Board, could go into effect this summer.

Andy Kravetz can be reached at 686-3283 or akravetz@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @andykravetz.